Walls That Solve Problems
Hillside Companies shore up and stabilize to improve communities
If you need a wall, Hillside does it all. That’s the motto at the Hillside Companies. The Bonsall, Calif.-based firm has constructed millions of square feet of retaining walls in Southern California. Its work can be seen in counties across the region, including San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Imperial, Kern and San Luis Obispo. Beyond retaining structures, the firm also performs grading, street improvements, site drainage, slope repair and wall waterproofing.
Hillside has been in business since 1995 and has repeat customers today that were some of their first clients when the business began. What makes this firm successful? And why is it doing so well? We found the answers during an interview with two of their key staff: Jeremy McGinty, the Business Development Leader and Bob Lathrop, the firm’s Chief Estimator.
Success Starts at the Top
Personal and professional success are goals that many strive for, but can’t always achieve. At Hillside, the environment is built to engender such success. “Our leadership philosophy and our leadership team allow individuals to use their gifts and talents to benefit the company,” says Lathrop. “For me, that brings a lot of satisfaction to my job, knowing that I’m encouraged to think outside the box—especially when it comes to projects. We’ve come up with a lot of creative solutions for various kinds of wall systems, and our solutions are different from others in our industry.”
Yet, creating a culture that thrives on success is typically dependent on strong leadership; and that leadership is evidenced in Marty Smith, the firm’s founder and CEO. As the son of the largest grading contractor in Colorado, he was raised on CAT equipment and construction lingo. Upon moving to California, his vision was to establish his own construction company, firmly built on the attributes of integrity and quality. And so it all began.
The trickle-down effect of a success-oriented mentality is underscored in examples found throughout the company. “One of our biggest challenges is to coordinate with all the different contractors to make sure we’re serving the client while working congruently with other subs,” says McGinty. “But, we trust our leaders in the field. The superintendents and foremen regularly come up with on-the-spot solutions. We trust them to represent our company and to run their jobs like they own the company.”
Let’s Talk
Most firms will tell you that effective communication is extremely important to their success; but many companies don’t know how to truly achieve it. At Hillside, it’s built into the business process. “Our philosophy is to overcommunicate with our clients,” comments Lathrop.
Concurring, McGinty adds, “We help customers to understand any challenges or obstacles that come along. Then we show them how to navigate through potential landmines. There are no surprises. We come along [by working] beside our customers.”
This “alongside” mentality takes hold from a project’s inception. Once Hillside is chosen for a project, its in-house design, engineering, estimating and development staff all come together to meet with the client. With site plans spread out before them, they determine any notable topographical issues and work through potential problems together. “We challenge the clients and help them to beat their expectations for the overall design time,” says McGinty. “We are really good at what we do.”
McGinty underscores his point by naming a variety of 15- and 20-year clients without missing a beat.
Lathrop weighs in with the following observation: “We come alongside people, put our arm around them. We build friendships and frankly, we sometimes do things that doesn’t put money in our pocket but that gives our client a better solution.”
No Change Orders? Really?
Hillside has something most consulting contractors don’t—a no-change-order policy. “This is a really big deal for our clients,” says Lathrop. “We try to know the job and understand it better than the owner or general contractor.” The only time the price changes is when the specifications change or if a new requirement is added to the scope of work.
In addition, the firm also prides itself on finding solutions that others don’t. Referencing Lathrop’s contributions to the team, McGinty says, “Bob is so creative. He just looks at a set of plans and can quickly see two or three wall options. Then we run the numbers and typically create a better solution, and a better-looking solution, at a better value. In one instance, we saved a client hundreds of thousands of dollars, just because the client didn’t think about a solution that we devised.” Hillside recently completed a retaining wall project in San Marcos, Calif., in which it developed a solution that not only resulted in a completely new wall option, but also a new and better installation method.
Solutions for a Slippery Slide
One differentiator for Hillside is that the firm not only designs and constructs retaining walls, but also repairs slopes caused by California’s legendary landslides. Lathrop recalls a time when the team helped one city create a win-win out of a situation that looked more like a lose-lose venture. The city was under attack by 18 home owners who were impacted by a landslide. According to Lathrop, “The homeowners were suing each other; there were attorneys galore. Emotions ran very high.” Hillside calmly developed a slope repair scenario, and began construction, even with picketers wanting to circumvent the company’s efforts. In the end, though, the win-win scenario prevailed. “We wound up being peacemakers,” says Lathrop. “It was a very successful project and came in under budget and ahead of schedule.”
The employees are particularly proud to say that the firm has never had a slope failure. “Most firms can’t say that,” McGinty says. “It’s very unusual.”